Tag: Tracy Mooney

Wow! Wow! Wow!

While Shadowing one of the Floriani Educators last week my brain went into high gear. She could see it as I sat in the back of the room listening to Sarabeth. I’m not using her real name because she isn’t a huge fan of social media, and I’m respecting that. Sarabeth presented each one of the stabilizers, sharing around samples for each one of the attendees to touch and feel. As makers that touchy-feely part is important.

The last day she showed the software from the Design Album right through FTC-U. In each program the icons are the same so if you’re in one program and get the next one, the interface is familiar, making it easy to navigate. I can assure you that, as someone who is learning the software from the ground up, this makes working in each environment way easier.

There is something I want to do and may yet figure out how to do what I want. If not I’ll draw it out and let the software do the digitizing for me.

Now for something completely different. This is Brilliant!

Yesterday I was determined! to make freestanding lace. In the software I designed something really cool, however it was in the wrong order and I wasn’t poking the right buttons to optimize the start/stops. And somehow I ended up with these crazy long stitches that make the whole piece seem weird. Then in typical me fashion I promptly forgot how I got from here to there. Gah.

first freestanding laceSo I made a piece of lace from the motifs that are in the B 560. In the top Floriani Silver Metallic. In the bobbin Floriani Silver Metallic. The needle – who knows. I put it in before my trip and haven’t checked what it is. The ONLY issue I had: the silver metallic and the eye of the bobbin sensor couldn’t see the silver thread, so the machine kept stopping “thinking” that there was no bobbin thread. Solution: turn off the sensor while completing the stitch out.

In the hoop were 2 layers of Wet N Gone. That’s it, because I forgot to add the topping but whatev’s. After the machine finished stitching (no thread breaks!) I cut the stabilizer about 1/4” away from the motif. I can use the scraps for something else later. I went downstairs to talk to my Sweetie, and fix dinner. While in the kitchen the lace went into a small bowl of water. I went for less than 2 minutes to talk to him about something and when I got back the Wet N Gone was gone! Gone. Not slimy, not icky. Just gone! The water didn’t feel weird either. What’s left? giving the lace a quick press with the pressing cloth so it lays flat.

Last night after an hour long conversation with Trish, the gal who is going to be my right arm and leg at the Dutchess show in a couple of weeks I figured it out again. So now, today’s job is to make that piece of lace, and cut out 2 1/2” squares for a project for Sew Much Cosplay. The big reveal will be after Cheryl and Tracy see it because I might give them sneak peeks, I might not.

Happy Quilting!

Teri

 

Back to School Blog Hop: Bury Quilt Thread

BTS 16 Teri Lucas

Welcome to the Back to School Blog Hop hosted by Sam Hunter (Hunter’s Design Studio). Thanks Sam! Thirty-two days of tutorials by quilters and sewists, ready to share their experience and tips. At the bottom of the tutorial are links to each of the other participants in the hop. So many great tutorials!

One hundred years ago, when I learned to machine quilt the teacher (Carol Brubaker Martin) taught us many ways to handle thread ends when beginning and ending machine quilting. I settled on, and teach burying the thread ends with a needle and thread. This method gets the thread out of the way so the quilting can progress merrily along. Eventually I will update the PDF on the Tutorials and Helpful Hints page.

bury thread step one start here
Step one, get ready to stitch. Get the quilt under the needle where you want to start quilting.
bury thread step two drop needle
Holding onto the thread, my hands are over there <—-, drop the needle into the quilt.
bury thread step three needle up bring up bobbin
Bring the needle up, and pull on the top thread to pull the bobbin thread to the top of the quilt.
bury thread step four drop needle hold onto thread
Drop the needle back into the same hole. I use the hand wheel for more control.
bury thread step five get started stitching
Get started stitching. Move far enough away from the needle to make room for your hands.
bury thread step six trim thread ends
Clip the thread ends to the same length. This makes the next few steps so much easier.
bury thread step seven thread the needle
I use a Spiral Eye Needle to bury the thread. The opening on the side makes threading quick and easy. Alternately you can use use a quilting needle (size 9 or 10) and a needle threader to thread BOTH threads through the eye. Make a loop of thread, and pull the needle through the loop to make the knot. Alternately wrap the thread around the needle three or four times near the quilt.

 

bury thread step nine heres the knot
Here’s the knot. It’s about one-quarter of an inch away from the quilt. I try to get it about that close so it’s near the quilt, and about that far away so I can easily bury it.
bury thread step ten needle in first hole
Poke the needle into the hole where the thread came from. Wiggle the needle through the batting, this will place the knot IN the batting and out of your way.
bury thread step eleven weave needle through batting
Come up about an inch away from where the thread started.
bury thread step twelve pull through and pop knot
Pull on the thread until the knot goes into the fabric. You may hear a satisfying pop. Unless of course, like me, the music is playing in the background.
bury thread step thirteen clip the thread
Now you’re ready to keep on stitching! Yes, you can stitch over the where you buried the thread! The knot is too small to do any kind of damage, or deflect the needle in any way..
bury thread step fourteen keep quilting
When you’re finished quilting bring the needle up.
bury thread step fifteen needle up pull thread through needle
Grab the top thread and give it a good pull, you’ll need the tail to finish the process.
bury thread step sixteen clip thread and hold onto thread in needle
Clip the thread and hold onto that tail!
bury thread step seventeen drop needle
Drop the needle back down where you took that final stitch.
bury thread step eighteen pull up bobbin thread and clip
While holding onto the thread bring the needle back up. This will pull the bobbin thread up.
bury thread step nineteen heres what the loop looks like
Give the top thread a pull to bring enough of the bobbin thread up to have a tail that you can bury.
bury thread step twenty pull long enough tail
Clip it and…

 

bury thread step twenty one spiral eye needle
Thread the eye of the needle
bury thread step twenty two make quilters knot again loop needle through loop
Make that quilters knot
bury thread step twenty three needle in last thread hole repeat way back
poke the needle in where the thread came up and weave through the batting
bury thread step twenty four pull knot through listen for pop
tug on the thread to hear that pop and pull the knot into the batting
bury thread step twenty five clip threads
Clip the thread and voila! Done.

Now, on the odd chance that the thread didn’t pull back into the quilt put your needle between the batting and the top of the quilt near the thread and sweep the needle. It’ll pull the threads between the layers.

Please visit the other blog hoppers and see what they’ve got goin’ on.

Day 1 – August 15 – Sam Hunter: How to spray baste a BIG quilt
Day 2 – August 16 – Mandy Leins: Thread Dread: removing stray bits after quilting
Day 3 – August 17 – Nancy Stovall: The Sweet Creamy Filling
Day 4 – August 18 – Ebony Love: 7 Indispensible feet for your sewing machine Day 5 – August 19 – Michelle Freedman: Machine throat plates
Day 6 – August 20 – Teresa Coates: Edge/Under/Top stitching
Day 7 – August 21 – Kelly Cole: Ten ways to regain your sew-jo
Day 8 – August 22 – Megan Dougherty: Choose to Fuse: tips for working with fusibles for applique
Day 9 – August 23 – Kim Lapacek: Tricks to being productive while hauling your kids around
Day 10 – August 24 – Yvonne Fuchs: Circuitboard quilting on Domestic and Longarm Machines
Day 11 – August 25 – Sandi Hazlewood: Chain Piecing Quilt Blocks Tips
Day 12 – August 26 – Juliet van der Heijden: Paper-piecing with children
Day 13 – August 27 – Maddie Kertay: Fabric folding for any storage solution
Day 14 – August 28 – Cath Hall: Working with Lawn fabric
Day 15 – August 29 – Tracy Mooney: Tips for the perfect seam
Day 16 – August 30 – Teri Lucas: How to bury thread
Day 17 – August 31 – Debby Brown: Securing machine quilting knots
Day 18 – September 1 – Flaun Cline: How to put some sparkle in your fabric pull (part 1)
Day 19 – September 2 – Jessica Darling: How to put some sparkle in your fabric pull (part 2)
Day 20 – September 3 – Trish Frankland: A bigger blade really IS better?!
Day 21 – September 4 – Robin Koehler Nestlings by Robin: How to travel with handwork
Day 22 – September 5 – Jane Davidson: How to make scrappy HSTs
Day 23 – September 6 – Linda Pearl: Low cost tips for organizing your sewing room
Day 24 – September 7 – Christa Watson – Top 10 tips for quilting on a domestic machine
Day 25 – September 8 – Sarah Nunes: To Starch or Not to Starch
Day 26 – September 9 – Suzy Webster: Testing fabric for bleeding
Day 27 – September 10 – Sarah Goer: Machine bind your quilts like a pro
Day 28 – September 11 – Vanda Chittenden: Beginner paper-piecing tips
Day 29 – September 12 – Cheryl Sleboda: Needle threading tips
Day 30 – September 13 – Kim Niedzwiecki – Different thread weights and when to use them
Day 31 – September 14 – Sandra Healy: Conquer Your Fear of Machine Appliqué
Day 32 – September 15 – Sandra Starley: The Basics of Antique Quilt Collecting

 

So, there’s this!

thank you 2Maddie Kertay, and Cheryl Sleboda encouraged me to submit classes for Fall Quilt Market. After some thought I submitted three classes, and two are accepted. First up on Saturday October 28 is Creating Consumer Confidence—Machine Sales; the second is Sunday October 29th Creating Confidence in the In-Store Talent. Having worked in quilt shops on and off for the last 9 years I’ve watched, experienced, and listened to the needs of the shops, owners, employees, and the customer. Each is important, playing a key role in the success of the shop. Thank you to Quilts, Inc for seeing the value in these classes, and to Maddie and Cheryl for encouraging me to submit these classes. Maddie, will be teaching as will Ebony Love, Pepper Cory, Tracy Mooney, Dave Gilleland, Teresa Coates and so many great people. (Some will be Schoolhouse presentations or Take & Teach classes.) I look forward to seeing you there. 

Debby has shared, and we’ve talked about 1000 Postcards for Peace. I have the first one made, and decided about fifteen minutes ago, to make two more in the next few days. I don’t yet know where they are going, however I’ll be making postcards. The why isn’t as important as there are things in life that call for a moment of something (hopefully) good. Please feel free to join us in this effort.

Last week I started this Opal Dahlia designed by Jeanie Sumrall-Ajero by Hoffman Fabrics. After several false quilting starts, including thinking I wanted to stitch an overall meander, I settled on this:

IMG_20170622_174640

It took a little bit to get here, sometimes ya know that something simple is good, but what that simple is isn’t quite clear. With a little focus this will be finished tomorrow before I focus on a few other things.

Happy Quilting!

Teri

 

reading is fun-damental & a nip o’fun

I have a whole big bunch of e-books sitting in my to read in a file on my computer. It’s a great file to go to for quilty inspiration. Jean Wells has an update on Intuitive Color & Design that I’m looking forward to spending time with. Her work has influenced nearly all of my quilting life. So digging into this is high on the priority list.

All the Light you cannot see is next on the reading list, got it from the library. Tomorrow I’m flying out to St. Louis for Quilt Market and will have a layover in Atlanta. Reading time!

Today is some final Market Prep, laundry, packing, checking in for my flight. Making sure I have all of the electronic stuff necessary. Two meetings for Generation Q.

I’ll be doing facebook live vids from the show floor on both the GenQ page and my own personal page. The live vid with Tracy and Cheryl should be Sew Much Fun.

If you’re going to be at Market here’s your reminder about a few Market classes to take. And the Spring Clean Your Studio Blog Tour.

Oh! Oh! Yes the Dutchess Heritage Quilt Celebration.

There are classes to teach. And quilts to make. And fabric to fondle.

Happy Quilting!

Teri

And then it went WOOSH!

And then it went WOOSH!

There’s a great saying, “A high tide raises all ships”. You’re the ship, and I’m the tide. Encouraging, and supporting quilters in their endeavors, and watching them succeed is joyful.

In February Tracy Mooney and Cheryl Sleboda spoke at VDTA on Cosplay. Having attended talks, given talks, it’s rare that a room is silent, and people are taking notes. I did a facebook live through the Generation Q Magazine page for as long as I could. After that Tracy and Cheryl both were kind of quiet about it all.

SewMuchCospla7_CT

Earlier this week they announced Sew Much Cosplay, and their new line of products with RNK/Floriani. I asked them, “What is the most surprising, and most fun part of this process?

SewMuch_Cosplay_SAweb
Cheryl: The most challenging part? That’s easy, you’re building this awesome thing and you’re dying to tell everyone, but you can’t.

Tracy: I do agree! It was awful! I wanted to tell everyone and Cheryl kept telling me no.

Cheryl: I think at one point it felt like it was moving so slow that we’d never be able to tell anyone.

Tracy: And then it went WOOSH!

Cheryl: The most fun part has been realizing all of the cool things you want to make, both products and education. We can get sidetracked with brainstorming all of the cosplays we both want to make for the business.

TERI: So what’s the first thing you want to make

Cheryl: sent the link to this very cool dress

Tracy: I can’t wait to start building armor. We are going to have some new products and stabilizers that will bridge the gap between the hard armor and soft sewn Cosplay. I’m really excited about that.

Very soon the products will be on the website, and they will be offering classes. Oh I did ask the impertinent question of Cheryl, “will you be wearing the dress to Market”. She won’t but it’s such a great dress!

I’m not quite sure which site yet, but there will be a facebook live debuting the new products. Cheryl is giving a class on Cosplay Friday morning at 8 AM during Quilt Market. Tracy’s class will be Sunday at 8 AM on Adaptive Sewing Techniques. Let your shop owner know about these classes.

As I’ve mentioned I’ll be at Quilt Market with appointments for the magazine and looking for a day job. I hope to see you there!

Happy Quilting!

Teri

PS visit Sara Mika of Mock Pie Studio for her Spring Clean Your Studio blog tour day.

A little bit of this and a little bit of that

 

@swirlygirlsdesign @michaelmillerfabrics #hellofabric Just needs binding. #quiltsrule

A post shared by Teri Lucas (@terilucas) on

I finished quilting a quilt top this afternoon. It was so fun. The quilting is decidedly not my usual style, but the quilt is so fun and quirky.

Along the top of the quilt I wrote “hello” all over it, and quilted in the hashtag #quiltsrule

In a few places I wrote hello backwards, in others upside down while stitching. It’s a quilting superpower.

A long time ago, in a far, far galaxy lived a quilter who used her sewing machine a lot, a whole lot. She sent it to get cleaned and oiled, and the tech scolded her because there was a lot of lint. This quilter from a far, far away galaxy snorted, because she quilted every single day. The tech reiterated his displeasure at the amount of lint. The quilter wasn’t bothered. Then she found this:

http://weallsew.com/how-to-remove-lint-from-your-sewing-machine/

The thing is that taking care of our machines is like taking care of our vehicles. They need regular maintenance, and there are things we can’t quite get to and a quick visit to the We All Sew Blog will show where the lint goes, and why the tech was eager to share his displeasure. I should have taken my machine in sooner. At the time I was taking my machine in every 2 years, with the amount of quilting I was doing every year would have been a better idea.

I’m off to quilt some more. The Moon is Made of Cheese is calling to me asking for a little attention. As is all the crap – sewing supplies – on my floor waiting for me to spend time tidying up. Speaking of tidying up the Spring Clean Your Studio Blog Tour continues!

Oh and check this out! Sew Much Cosplay by Cheryl Sleboda and Tracy Mooney. Oh this is so amazing. I’ll have more from this dynamic duo soon.

Have a totally fab day!

We get by with a little help from our friends inQuilt Market Classes!

photo_20161030_180753Good friends, like good wine are a rare gift and a distinct pleasure.
As a quilter I’ve been blessed with some good friends. Several who are teaching at Quilt Market in St. Louis.

Tracy Mooney, Senior Editor of Generation Q Magazine – Keep Your Customers Sewing: Adaptive techniques to keep your customers sewing and quilting longer. Tracy has Sjogrens, an autoimmune related to lupus that causes fatigue and has her exploring ways to keep her passion for quilting, sewing, teaching, and writing going. She’s one of those people I “go to” when the world seems to be spinning off it’s axis.

Cheryl Sleboda, Muppin Inc: What is Cosplay? And why should my shop care? I had the privilege of attending Cheryl, Tracy, and Toni’s presentation at VDTA in February. The standing room only crowd was quiet and taking notes! Cosplay has been around for a while and is a way to engage a broad range of customers, it’s incredibly creative, and body positive. Cosplay is a breath of fresh air and a way to grow.

Building up  your Branding Learn the tips and tricks to build brand awareness both by design and by accident! Learn the strategies that elevate your business and how to leverage your brand across social media. These are the kinds of things that will help us stand out in the ever widening crowd, help us define who we are, what our niche is, and how to make the most of it. This is the stuff!

Ebony Love Blogging is not dead yet – How to get your blog off life support. She’s right, in so many ways. Whether you’ve been blogging for a long time, or are new Ebony will help you nurture that blogging spirit and keep it lively. This is a time when we need reminders of the good work we always like to do.

Independent Publishing – From Idea to book in 6 months or less. Here’s how to tackle that original, idea and publish yourself. Take this one!!

kelly ann and teri Market a while agoKelly Ann Richardson Quilt Shop Owners and Designers – Building Relationships In Kelly Ann’s words: I believe in building strong relationships, not just in my personal life but in my business which is why this year at Spring Quilt Market I will be presenting a seminar “Quilt Shop Owners and Designers-Building Relationships”. I’ve spent the last 12 years in business building relationships with quilt shop owners and designers, working together and sometimes making the difficult decision to walk away from some of those relationships. I’ve included time for some healthy discussion on how to break up, build up and form some lasting relationships. This is so essential to our growth and health.

Maddie Kertay Shaking the Money Tree Without Wallowing in a Discount Culture Promote your store and sales with effective programs that don’t center on discounts to get people in the door.

Campgraphical – Beginners Guide to Creating Media for Quilt Shops Enjoy techniques and resources plus hands-on practice to gain experience and confidence with
modern media.

20161030_110948Alex Anderson & Kay Brooks Are you Working for Yourself or Your Suppliers Are your suppliers making more profit margin than you? You deserve more and we will show you how to get it!

Roseann Kermes How to Teach a Successful Wool Applique Class Includes basic stitches, supply list for add-on sales, lesson plan, and tips for a successful class. Take home a cute finished coaster for a shop display.

The quilting community is rich in depth and character. I’m happy to call each and every one of these amazing people, friend.

Happy Quilting and Building,

Teri